Bulsae ATGM

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The Bulsae ATGM is a family of anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) systems developed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea.

Contents

History

Bulsae-2

North Korea is said to have acquired a number of 9K111 Fagot systems in the late 20th century. These were subsequently reverse-engineered and given the designation Bulsae-2. [1]

Bulsae-3

The Bulsae-3 was advertised as the AT-4MLB by North Korean proxy company GLOCOM,[ failed verification ] and in their brochure it was stated that it is controlled by laser beam guidance method, [2] [3] [4] [5] The first international customers of the Bulsae-3 was reported in 2014 to be the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and the Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades. [6]

The Chonma-216 variant of the Pokpung-ho main battle tank (MBT) has been seen fitted with Bulsae-3, which a source alleges to have been derived from the AT-14 Spriggan. [7]

The 2020 Cheonma-2 MBT prototype has the Bulsae-3 as secondary armament. It is said to be reversed engineered Soviet/Russian 9K111 Fagot or 9M133 Kornet missiles. [7] [8] However, the diameter of the ATGM launchers appears to be 150 mm like the 9M133, rather than 120 mm of the 9K111 and may thus have a higher penetration. [9]

Bulsae-4

Eight-tube launcher mounted on a M-2010 6×6 APC chassis. [10] According to the South Korean National Intelligence Service, the Bulsae-4 was observed during the 2024–25 Kursk offensive, though it is unclear if they are used by Russian or North Korean troops. [11] The system is analogous to Israel's Spike-ER, China's ATF-10 and Serbia's ALAS multi-purpose wire-guided missiles. [12] [13]

Bulsae-5

The Songun-915 variant of the Pokpung-ho series of tanks has been seen fitted with Bulsae-5, which a source alleges to have been derived from the 9M133 Kornet. [14]

References

  1. "North Korea Country Handbook: Marine Corps Intelligence Activity" (PDF). Fas.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  2. Berger, Andrea (14 July 2017). Target Markets: North Korea's Military Customers. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   9781351713009.
  3. "Glocom is at It Again".
  4. Bulsae-2 - Anti-tank guided missile, archived from the original on 11 April 2023
  5. The State of the North Korean Military, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 18 March 2020, archived from the original on 4 April 2021
  6. "Oryx Blog on DPRK Arms Exports". Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  7. 1 2 Trevithick, Joseph; Rogoway, Tyler (12 October 2020). "We Take A Closer Look At North Korea's New Prototype Main Battle Tank". The Drive. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  8. "North Korea unveils new Main Battle Tank using design of Russian T-14 Armata". Army Recognition. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  9. 朝鲜阅兵展示的最新坦克,是个什么水平?_政务_澎湃新闻-The Paper. www.thepaper.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  10. Dominguez, Gabriel; Gibson, Neil (12 September 2018). "North Korea parades latest self-propelled howitzers, missile carriers". Jane's Defence Weekly. London. Janes Information Services. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  11. Newdick, Thomas (13 January 2025). "North Korean Air Defense System Revealed In Ukraine By Russian Friendly Fire Strike". The War Zone. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  12. Michael Peck (6 February 2020). "How North Korea Is Trying to Build Its Own Anti-Tank "Spike" Missile". National Interest. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  13. Dylan Malyasov (30 July 2024). "North Korean missile carrier spotted on Ukrainian battlefield". Defence Blog. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  14. "songun-ho". www.massimotessitori.altervista.org. Retrieved 16 September 2021.